Synopses & Reviews
An episodic novel set somewhere in the New South, Luminous Mysteries traces the lives of Grim Power and his sister, Rita, from their youth to early middle age. In powerful prose that has been compared to that of his writing mentor, Raymond Carver, Holman tellingly paints a portrait of the lives of middle-class African Americans today. Grim, who worked as a race-car driver and a show-business cowboy before returning home to run a car restoration business, and Rita, a math teacher, are enriched by their friends, their family, and the small beautiful moments of everyday life. In penetrating language Holman exposes the uniqueness of each person's soul that always lies just beneath a quotidian surface.
Review
"Clear images, brilliantly concise writing and hidden metaphors speak well for Holman. . . . In many ways the work is reminiscent of Steinbeck's Cannery Row."-The Tampa Tribune
"Holman's fiction is a must-read. . . . Employs the consciousness of a keenly observant man who reveals the complexities of the black experience and demonstrates fluent language in a rich and imagistic read."-The Independent (london)
"Virtually every page carries some variation on the top-of-the-Ferris-wheel feeling a kid gets. . . . In Holman's sublimely nuanced world, anticipation is everything."-The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Synopsis
A novel set in the New South, Luminous Mysteries follows the lives of Grim Power and his sister, Rita, from their youth to early middle age. In prose that has been compared to that of Raymond Carver, John Holman tellingly paints a portrait of the lives of middle-class African americans today. “Reminiscent of Steinbecks Cannery Row” (Tampa Tribune).